Rotan roads in the news

Don't miss the KTXS news clip from June 20 where Karina Hollingsworth interviewed Ginger Gentry, Eula Gentry (hope I'm right, let me know if I'm not) and Inez Reese about pot holes in Rotan city streets. Eula and Inez had me laughing, those women should have their own show. Super gals!

School board elections 2024

Rotan Independent School District has issued a notice of deadline to file an application for individuals seeking a seat on the school board. This is required for placement on the November general election ballot. Four members have expiring seats: Klay McWilliams, Monica Carrillo, Matt Preston and Frankie Gonzalez. Filing dates are July 20 to August 19; filing hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday. The return address for filing is 102 North McKinley Avenue, Rotan.

Roby Consolidated Independent School District has three members with expiring terms: Chris Estes, Danny Carrion and Carter Edmondson. Filing dates have not been posted to the website.

Hamlin ISD has one member whose term will expire this year, Norman Pond. No filing dates have been posted on the website.

Hermleigh ISD does not list terms of service for board members on its website (a state requirement). Members listed are Larry Don Nachlinger, John Pence, David Digby, Kasey Nachlinger and Gerald Rodriguez. The Hermleigh ISD Board of Trustees unofficial site indicates that Joe Roemisch and Alan Culp resigned from the board on April 3, and that Larry Don Nachlinger resigned as board president on June 3. John Pence was then voted president. The June 17 board agenda lists actions to fill board vacancies. No filing dates have been posted to the school website.

The Roscoe ISD board does not have any expiring terms this year. Members are Jerad Alford, Eloy Herrera, Kenneth Hope, David Pantoja, Allen Richburg, Marcial Saenz and Drew Moses.

Trent ISD does not have dates for member terms of service on their website (a state requirement). Members are Robert Barnhill, Cecil Gillespie, Paula King, Bubba Rohrobough and Diane Gillespie. No filing dates have been posted on the school website.

Texas Education Code states that all school districts are to post board members and dates of terms on their website. School boards are also required to place agendas on the website 72 hours before meetings, and to place meeting minutes on the website afterward. They are held to the same public meeting rules as state, county and city authorities.

All the above schools are Fisher County taxing entities.

July public sales 2024

All sales are at the county courthouses unless otherwise stated. Please verify information and times on notices. Some sales have a multiple hour span for begin time. An example of that is "the sale will begin between the hours of 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.".

Nolan County: Trustee Sale in Sweetwater for the property at 1403 East 13th Street, July 2, 10 a.m.; Perdue Brandon sheriff sale, July 2, 2 p.m.

Jones County: Trustee Sale in Anson for the property at 7386 FM 1226, Hawley, 1 p.m.; Perdue Brandon sheriff sale, July 2, 10 a.m.

Scurry County: Trustee Sale in Snyder for the property at 3502 44th Street, 1 p.m. and one for 2607 35th Street, also at 1 p.m.

Perdue Brandon has sheriffs sales for 21 counties in July.

Texas Communities Group has several ongoing tax resale properties. 

The closest local ones are for Loraine, but those end tonight. 

Colorado City has one that ends July 16.

There are two properties in Stamford. There is no cut-off date shown on the website.

There's one property in Rule, also with no cut-off date listed.

A little public meeting notices audit

In September 2023, during the 88th Texas Legislative Session, HB 3440 was made a law. It amended a Texas Statute regarding Government Code 551.056(b), now requiring government entities to post meeting times, agendas and minutes on the internet, if they maintain a website.

In Fisher County, the County Commissioners Court and the Brazos G Water Planning Group both comply with the new law.

The City of Rotan, the Fisher County Appraisal District and the Fisher County Hospital Board all have websites, but do not post the meeting times and agendas 72 hours beforehand. The City of Rotan and the Fisher CAD also do not post the meeting minutes afterward.

The City of Roby does not maintain a website, so they are not subject to the new law.

Another provision of the new ruling is that offices that post meeting times and agendas on their website only have to have the physical (paper) notice available to the public during business hours.

The new ruling can be observed in the Texas Municipal League 2024 publication, Handbook for Mayors and Council Members, page 35.

I was there: Red Desert Penitentiary

- The living room -

Last night I watched Red Desert Penitentiary, a local movie that was produced in the mid-eighties.

I remember being on set, but I had never seen the show. I thought that since it was shot in Sweetwater, it couldn't be a big deal.

My friend Missy and I had more or less wandered into the filming. She lived in the house that was being used as location for a scene in the beginning of the show, where a press party was going on.

There were a lot of people there when we came in, and nobody took notice of us. We sat down on the couch and started eating some cheese and crackers that were laid out on the coffee table. Then we got yelled at for eating the props, so we either left or went back to Missy's bedroom to hang out. So much for my film career.

The movie is a mess, but it was fun to try to figure out where the locations were at. It was sweet to see Tom Henderson and Carolee Patterson brought back to life and looking so youthful.

It was a little hard to see Randy Hanes, a city cop that us young 'uns had run-ins with back in the day.

Trudy Wortham stole the show as Rosalie, in the character of set director. 

My favorite line: "This coffee tastes like Dr. Pepper".

Photos: James Michael Taylor as Dan McMan and Cathryn Bissell as Myrna Greenbaum (snipped from the movie); Me and Missy as ourselves.

House up for auction in Sweetwater

802 Crescent in Sweetwater has an ongoing auction, which started yesterday and ends tomorrow, June 12. The current bid is $70,000. 

It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home in a desirable neighborhood on the north side of town. Property taxes run about $3,000, which is average for this area.

This is a bank owned, foreclosed residence.

Source: auctions.com, via Zillow.

A simpleton

I bought a bunch of books a couple of weeks ago. One of them is The Mammals of Texas issued by Texas Parks and Wildlife in 1978. I decided to look at it yesterday, maybe look at some pictures of animals.

I was in for a shock, because this is not a book for the casual reader. It's a manual for students, with detailed instructions on killing and collecting specimens. 

Reading parts of this book, I realize how naive I am. It makes me feel like I don't know anything, that I've been skimming over the top of life rather than diving in. I have wasted my time here on earth. I should know more math and how to speak Spanish, at least!

This is not the first time I've had this revelation, but it really hits me hard every time it resurfaces. I'm nothing but a simple-minded fool and nothing is as it seems. 

The people who preserve animals also kill animals. I guess one evens out the other. Who else better to hunt the animals than the people who know the most about the animals? It's brutal. It's the truth.

"Get your gun, a .410 with double load is the best. Here, cut your specimens up with these scissors. For the small traps, a stabbing kind is preferred. Look, a spoon holds ten baby opossums, they're so tiny."

It's not like I haven't had a clue, but I guess I forgot. The quail people preserve quail but also hunt quail. The game ranchers know the best way to raise an antelope, and also the best way to kill one. There ya go.

After my initial bewilderment over the content, I found other aspects of the book to be interesting and informative. There was an entry and a photo of a Ringtail, a little fox-weasle looking creature I've always wanted to see, but haven't yet. It is native to Fisher County. 

The more I learn, the more everything seems complicated. Is it really? Can't I just plant a seed and it will grow? Can I look at the stars and enjoy them? I don't know, I just don't know.

Coming up: June muddin'

- June 2024 Mud Bog -

The next Red Dirt Mud Bog will be Saturday, June 15, at the Rotan Rodeo Grounds, west of town, on FM 611.

Gates open at 11 a.m. Admission is $10, twelve and under get in free. There will be a tractor pull when the gates open.

The bogging will begin at noon and there will be a dance that night at 8 p.m.

Flyer can be found on the company facebook page.